Goodbye, On to Graduation
by Krista Songbird
Summary: High School is ending tonight, and Troy and Gabriella are faced with saying goodbye at the final dance before graduation. My first attempt at a fanfic so please be gentle! Troyella!
1. Graduation

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the movie**

**This is a oneshot, just something that came to my mind, it's my first attempt at fanfiction so be gentle, lol. I hope you enjoy.**

**Song: "Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin**

**----East High School----**

Gabriella threw her locker open, removing her notebook and jacket. 'It looks so bare', she thought sadly. She had removed her pictures from the door, as well as all of her other belongings earlier that week. You could hear people running down the halls cheering and chatting excitedly with their friends about the summer and college. Those that weren't yelling and cheering were hugging their friends with glossy eyes, promising to call and keep in touch and knowing it would likely never happen, for college was a different world, though no one wanted to admit it. For Gabriella, she was loosing a part of her life that she would miss terribly, part of her wanted to stay an East High Wildcat forever. "Times change, people grow up, its life…" she mumbled to herself, "You'll be okay". She heard a distinctive giggle and glanced over her shoulder to see Sharpay and her drama girls in deep conversation about their dresses for the final dance tonight. 'She'll probably be in hot pink glitter or something', Gabriella thought.

"Hi, Gabriella, I'll see you at the dance right?" Sharpay asked smiling.

"Of course", Gabriella answered.

"Will you be with Troy?" Sharpay questioned.

"Umm, I….." Gabriella didn't know what to say. She really wanted to say yes, but she knew that would be a lie. Her and Troy had broken up a couple of days earlier. They were going to college on different sides of the country since both had different dreams for the future. Hers was to study medicine and become a doctor, along with Taylor who wanted the same. Troy and Chad had both decided to go to U of A on basketball scholarships and pursue the curriculums there. Even though she loved Troy with all her heart, she couldn't ask him to give up his dream college for her. And she knew he would never dream of asking the same of her. They both cried to each other that night, but promised to keep in touch and never forget each other. Truth be known, she just hadn't let it sink in yet that after tomorrow night when her and Taylor left on the plane, she would only see him for holidays that she got to come home for…and even then it wouldn't be the same. It would he an awkward, polite conversation where they asked how the other was doing and went on their own ways. It broke her heart to think of it that way, but it was true. Even though they promised it wouldn't be, she knew he would find some great girl and forget all about her. And as far as her finding another great guy, maybe in about 200 years. Even then he wouldn't even come close to her Troy. _Her _Troy. Just when she thought she was going to cry, an annoyed voice broke her out of her daydream.

"Hellloo? Earth to Gabriella? You never answered me." Sharpay raised her eyebrows at Gabriella.

"Oh, I'm going with Taylor, since Troy and I….well….we…." Gabriella trailed off, unable to say it aloud.

"Broke up, yeah I know. But you two have to end senior year together….it'd be so wrong not to" Sharpay said genuinely. Sharpay and Gabriella had become pretty good friends after the whole trying to steal my man thing passed. Sharpay was with Zeke, and they were crazy about each other. "Anyway, I gotta go get my hair and make-up done for tonight! It's gonna be more fun than graduation tomorrow morning!" Sharpay squealed running off with her friends. Gabriella stood there sadly, she wanted to go with Troy, but she didn't know what he wanted. They had broken up, he wouldn't want to be with her at their final dance tonight, would he? She didn't even want to go honestly. Where everyone would say goodbye to all their friends and old lives and leave with only memories. Graduation would be the next morning, but it was going to be a ceremony where they didn't get to socialize and talk, it's would be getting a diploma, taking pictures, and wishing everyone well. Tonight was the real goodbye.

"Goodbyes suck" Gabriella said through clenched teeth, fighting back tears at the thought of saying goodbye to her one and only love. Just then she heard a voice behind her as she slammed her locker.

"Hey now, we promised each other neither of us would cry over the next two days…not until we get on the plane at least. And if you start, I won't be far behind" Taylor joked getting a small laugh from Gabriella. "I'm excited about the red and white thing we're doing for the final dance" Taylor said. "I think it's the perfect end to the perfect year, wearing our school's colors, as well as our men's colors! Man we had fun at those basketball games!" Taylor laughed then trailed off looking sadly at her feet, "I'm gonna miss him, Gabi" she admitted with a shaky sigh. Gabriella looked sadly at her friend, who was in the same boat as her. Taylor and Chad had parted amicably, just like her and Troy, because of college. She was really starting to hate it already, and started to voice her opinion before Troy's words came rushing back into her mind.

"_I couldn't live with myself at college if I knew you were sitting in your dorm depressed, shut off from everyone because you are missing me. I want you to experience college different than that, and have fun. And I know if we stay together, that's all it's going to be. Both of us terribly missing the other, we'd never make it through the first semester without failing. And your dreams are too important to me to do that…so I know we're doing the right thing for right now"._

Gabriella smiled for the first time all day, remembering her love's words. She knew he was right, no matter how hard it is now, in the end it would be better. Not that she'd ever forget him or stop loving him or stop wanting him, but they would be able to live out their separate dreams. _Separate._ The word tore at her heart, she didn't want to be separate from him. Her mind was like a constant battle, one minute saying 'it's for the best' and the next minute saying 'you fool, you can't be without Troy!'. She sighed aloud and got a chuckle from Taylor.

"I'm just glad I'll have you there with me, girl! If not for that, I'd really be lost!" Taylor laughed with Gabriella for a minute before excusing herself to leave to get ready for the dance. "I'll see you there _date._" Taylor laughed again.

"Okay _date_" Gabriella answered. She grabbed her bag and headed towards the door, knowing she'd have to pass right by Troy's locker. Looking at the ground, she slid her hand inside her pocket and started fiddling with the small 'T'. She wasn't wearing it because she didn't know how Troy would react to it, but she still had it with her. She couldn't bear to not have it with her…somewhere…even hidden from the eye. Pulling her hand out of her pocket she sighed just before hearing her name being called. She looked to her right to see Troy calling her name from his locker, where he was standing talking to Chad. She smiled slightly and made her way over to them.

"Well, I'll see you tonight man, the rest of us going stag will be waiting for you so don't be late and make me look like an idiot!" Chad playfully warned Troy, just before they shared a laugh and Chad turned to walk away. Gabriella's heart fluttered, Troy was going alone. That made her happy, even though she knew in her heart he wouldn't take someone else. "See you later, Gabi!" Chad called over his shoulder. She waved and turned her attention to Troy.

"What's up, Wildcat? You ready for the dance?" she tried to sound cheerful, like nothing had changed, but his sad gaze reminded her it had. He nodded and opened his mouth only to close it again when his gaze fell on her bare neck. His beautiful blue eyes shone with unshed tears while he registered the missing necklace. She knew just what he was looking at and brought her hand up to her neck.

"Yeah, I didn't wear it. I didn't know how you would react with…the…b..breakup…" she trailed off looking at her hands that were now fiddling with the bottom of her shirt nervously. He let out a soft chuckle before grabbing her hands in his own, sending shivers through her whole body. Chocolate brown eyes met sky blue ones and they both glazed over. Gabriella took the opportunity to start rambling nervously "I can give it back if you want, I'm sorry I didn't offer sooner. I wanted to keep it but I can give it back" she said while reaching in her pocket pulling out the delicate necklace that meant the world to her. She didn't want to part with it but if he wanted it, she'd give it back in a second. She wanted him to be happy. He stopped her with his voice.

"You have it with you?" he asked softly. She nodded and smiled. He then let out his own smile "I don't want it back. It's yours. I wouldn't have minded you wearing it…" he trailed off before laughing. "I still think of us as a couple, I think I always will, you don't have to wear it" he shook his head . Gabriella brought her hands up to his face locking their gazes.

"I want to wear it. And now that I know you want me to, I'm going to" they shared a smile as she hooked it around her neck. He brought his hand up and touched the small 'T' around her neck, making her close her eyes and take a deep breath at the touch that could bring her to her knees. "I don't know if you want to hear this, but I'm gonna say it anyway. I love you, will all my heart and I always will. There is no one else for me, I'll never find someone that makes me as happy as you. I understand your reasoning behind the breakup and I agree to some extent, but we won't be in college forever. I promise you, I will wait for you" she tearfully vowed. His eyes matched hers, before he smiled a genuine smile and closed his dazzling blue eyes.

"I feel the same, Gabi, but…" she cut him off before he could finish his statement.

"No. I'm not saying I'm going to sit in a room the whole time sad, I will have friends. I will go out and have fun, spend time making wonderful college memories like you want me to. But I will never hold the hand of another guy, never kiss another guy's lips. You are the only one, Troy, it's you…it's always been _you_" she whispered the last part.

"Then let's make a promise right here. _We_ will wait for _each other" _he smiled at her. "After all this is over, and we have finished college, we will start our lives together. Because I feel the same way…it's always gonna be you too, Gabi. No other girl will ever come close" he brought his hand up to the side of her face, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She smiled up at him.

"I think we should kiss on it" she smirked at him. He then leaned down and captured her mouth with his. Their tongues moved together like a pair slow dancing for the last time, neither of them wanting the moment to end, but it does. They pull back and he places his arms around her waist while her hands go to his shoulders. They stayed like that for a while, just remembering. Moment after moment passed before their eyes making them both smile. They knew even though they were technically not together officially, there hearts would always be one. "Promise me we won't loose touch or forget this promise. I don't want to come home for Thanksgiving to find we are awkward around each other or…" she started rambling again.

"We won't. It's us, Gabi. We'll never be _awkward _around each other" he stressed the word making her laugh. "I promise I will not forget our promise" he said genuinely. All it took was one look into those gorgeous blue eyes to know he was being honest and she believed him with everything in her. They weren't breaking up, just momentarily separating while they each pursued their dreams, and after that was done they would be together for the rest of their lives. They leaned in for another kiss, short and sweet, but full of emotions. When they pulled back they were hit with the realization of how different life would be without the other. After college was a long way away, and until then they were not going to be a couple. It was like she was saying goodbye to a part of herself and Troy over the next two days, the part of themselves they reserve for each other. He must have read her thoughts, "I can't wait until we graduate college" he said, earning a laugh from her. "Until then…." his eyes softened once more "…I'm gonna miss you, Gabi" he admitted shakily. She almost lost it at that, but didn't. She had to stay strong and let the waterworks fly when she and Taylor were on the plane, just like she and Taylor had promised each other.

"Me too" she said sadly. "But remember, it's not goodbye, just see you later" she said, trying to convince herself. She got a nod from him, along with a famous Troy Bolton smirk and wink. She smiled sweetly up at the love of her life before saying what they both knew had to be said. "Alright, I gotta go right now, get read for the dance. But I'll see you there, right Wildcat?" she smirked.

"You bet, save me a dance" he flirted.

"I'll save all of them for you" she honestly replied, getting a huge smile from Troy, before walking once more in the direction of the door. Taking a deep breath, she walked away from high school, and one step closer to her future.

**--Later that night at the dance—**

Gabriella smoothed the front of her dress. She was wearing a red, strapless gown that fitted to her tightly until it reached her hips, then flared out, so it flowed but didn't look like a full skirt. Her dark brown curls were pinned up on top her head, with a few loose wisps of hair curling around her face and neck. Her makeup was done a little heavier than normal, smoky eyes with dark mascara and red lips to match her dress. She had a white corsage on and white high heels. Taylor was wearing a white, spaghetti strapped gown that fit to her at the top and flowed out into a full skirt below the waist. She had her hair down and a red corsage on with red heels. The girls shared a shaky smile before giggling at how silly the other was being and walking into the final dance. The word _final _echoed in Gabriella's mind, making her slightly nauseous before her mind remembered Troy's sweet and heartfelt words earlier. Her worries instantly disappeared. She was shaken out of her thoughts by a squeal. 'Sharpay' she thought. Sure enough, upon turning around she saw the girl in a sparkly pink gown with glitter all over her and her blonde hair pulled up in a fancy up do. She was pulling an embarrassed looking Zeke behind her. Gabriella and Taylor shared a laugh over Zeke's sparkly pink bow tie and cumber bund.

"You two _Wildcats _look gorgeous!" Sharpay said excitedly, emphasizing the word 'Wildcats' because of the colors they were wearing. Zeke nodded with a smile and went to speak but was quickly pulled away behind Sharpay, who was making her way to the dance floor. They laughed as they heard Zeke groan. Gabriella turned around to find Taylor making her way through the crowd ahead of her and tried to catch up but was caught in the crowd. Pushing through finally, what she saw took her breath. There at the back of the room at a long table stood Taylor, Chad, and Troy talking to Troy's parents, who were sitting down. Troy looked absolutely stunning. His black tuxedo complemented his tan skin nicely, his brown locks looking perfect. When he turned slightly she saw the white cumber bund and smiled at how they would really be decked out in red and white tonight. Looking at Taylor and Chad, she smiled. Chad had on a red cumber bund, fitting in with Taylor's white dress. They were smiling flirtatiously at each other while Chad and Troy discussed something with Jack, Troy's father. Taylor was talking with Lucille, Troy's mother, about something. 'I forgot his parents were chaperoning' Gabriella thought before making her way to them. When she got closer she saw Lucille look at her and gasp, putting her hand up to her mouth, getting the attention of the other four people. They all turned in her direction, Taylor, Chad, and Jack smiling and Troy standing there with his mouth hanging open. It was then that Gabriella took in his bright shining blue eyes, 'he is so gorgeous!' she thought to herself with a wide smile. Upon reaching Troy they embraced, while he whispered into her ear.

"You look beautiful, Gabi" he beamed.

"You look gorgeous, Wildcat" she flirted with him. He blushed and looked down while she giggled at him. She forced herself to forget what was going to happen the next day and focus on the moment. And in the moment, nothing could touch her, she was happy. Troy's parents hugged her telling her how beautiful she looked before Gabriella grabbed Troy by the hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor, Taylor and Chad following. They joined up with the rest of the gang, who weren't that far from the table Troy's parents were at. And his parents took advantage of being able to see everything, they pulled out a camera. They took pictures of the couples individually, the gang together, the guys together, and the girls together. They took pictures of the gang dancing and couples dancing. Any picture you could imagine, they took it. Normally Gabriella would have been a little bit frustrated by that but not tonight. She knew pictures would bring her comfort later when she lay in a small dorm bed alone, probably crying over Troy. She quickly pushed that disturbing thought to the back of her mind and pushed herself farther into Troy's arms, dancing the night away.

**---Later that night, nearing the dance's end---**

Fast song after fast song blared out in the gym, and a few slow ones came too. Everyone was dancing together, having a blast and making fun of each other's dancing skills. No one wanted to bring up what would happen after that night. The only couple that wouldn't be split up by college was Sharpay and Zeke. The rest of them would be, a few people were going to the same college, but not any other boyfriend/girlfriends.

After hours of dancing, the group decided to take a breather and made their way to the long table where Troy's parents still sat. They all joked around and reminisced and talked about everything except the inevitable. Then finally, the moment they'd all been dreading came. They heard the kid who always did the morning announcements' voice blare from a microphone, addressing everyone, ready to give his final speech to the graduating class. Gabriella's heart dropped and everyone started glancing nervously at each other and their respective boyfriend or girlfriend.

"Hello everyone. The time has finally come, the time for us to look toward the rest of our lives, our futures. We have to look towards tomorrow and away from yesterday, for yesterday is done and gone forever" the kid started.

Gabriella felt the lump in her throat grow as she glanced at Troy, who was watching the kid on stage with a heavy heart.

"This next song we are going to play is the last song of the night, the last song of the year, the last song of your youth. Maybe you want to spend it with that guy or girl you've been crushing on for the past four years, finally telling them how you feel before moving on with your life. Maybe you want to spend it with your best friend, letting them know how much they meant to you and how you will never forget them. Maybe you want to spend it with that special someone you have been dreading saying goodbye to all night long. But the fact is, we must say goodbye" the kid said.

Gabriella's eyes misted over, she didn't want to say goodbye. How was she ever going to do that? She looked at all her friends sitting around her, all of them wearing somber looks.

"For the time has come to move on, and while we have our memories and we will never forget, we will never be here again. So as you make your way to the dance floor tonight, smile at the people you pass, and say goodbye to your youth together. And remember, spend this dance dancing with person you want to end your high school days with. It's been a wild ride my friends, have a nice life and goodbye. On to graduation!" he finished loudly receiving cheers. Everyone started piling onto the dance floor grouping up or pairing up and sharing tears of joy, or sadness, or longing for the past that will never be again.

They all stood slowly and made their way towards the dance floor, to the same spot not far from the table they had been dancing in all night. Everyone was coupled up: Troy and Gabriella, Chad and Taylor, Zeke and Sharpay, Ryan and Martha, and Jason and Kelsi. Gabriella's mind flashed back to that summer night they all walked together like this last, the night after they sung in the Lava Springs talent show where Troy and Gabriella shared their first kiss. That night seemed like so long ago, yet not long ago at all. That night they were all walking towards the beginning of senior year, the wild ride ahead. And tonight they were walking away from it. She couldn't help but wonder if it was the last time they would all be together like this. Suddenly tears stung Gabriella's eyes and she took several shaky breaths in attempt to calm herself, begging the tears to stay at bay. "Be strong Gabriella, be strong" she whispered to herself. Her eyes caught Taylor's and they both wore the same devastated look. By then they had all reached the dance floor and were awaiting the start of the final song of the final dance….actually it was a lot of things final. They were standing in front of their boyfriend or girlfriend, everyone avoiding each other's eyes but huddled closely together when the music started. Gabriella looked up at Troy and locked eyes with him, neither saying a word for their eyes spoke for them. Attempting to smile, she slid her arms up his chest while he slid his around her waist and she started the hardest thing she'd ever had to do in her life….saying goodbye to her Troy.

_(song in italics)_

_Oh Heavenly day  
All the clouds blew away  
Got no trouble today  
With anyone_

Gabriella leaned into Troy and rested her cheek next to his. Closing her eyes she breathed in his scent, trying to catch it and wrap it up and tuck it away into her memory for always.

_The smile on your face  
I live only to see  
It's enough for me baby  
It's enough for me  
Oh heavenly day  
Heavenly day  
Heavenly day_

Suddenly she was filled with memories, memories of every touch, every kiss, every look, every heartfelt word and she clung to him tighter. Willing time to stop for them tonight, she never wanted to let him go.

_Tomorrow may rain with sorrow  
Here's a little time we can borrow  
Forget all our troubles in these moments so few  
Oh we can right now the only thing that all that we really have to do_

Tomorrow was coming closer with ever word, and she kissed his cheek, memorizing the feel of his body pressed against hers, the way his chest moved with every breath he took. The feel of his precious heart beating with hers. She pressed herself even tighter to him.

_Is have ourselves a heavenly day  
Lay here and watch the trees sway  
Oh can't see no other way  
No way  
No way  
Heavenly day heavenly day heavenly day_

She pulled back and rested her hand on his cheek, and studied him. The way he smiled, the way his eyes sparkled the most beautiful blue she ever had seen or ever will see in her life, the way his bangs fell into his eyes and with a slight shake of his head, he pushed them out of the way. The way he looked at her, that look of love that he reserved for only her. Then she realized this was the last time for a really long time she would feel his arms around her and be able to wrap him in her arms. Sure they were getting back together after college, but she didn't think she could face the next several years without his loving touch. She felt her vision blur and knew this was it. There was no stopping the end now, it was too close. She felt her face twist into pain and let the unstoppable tears slide down her face. They started falling like rain as Troy looked at her with sorrowful eyes and brought his thump up to wipe them away. She closed her eyes, memorizing his soft touch that brought butterflies to her stomach. Troy pushed her back to his shoulder where she held on to him for dear life, silently crying her heart out. He pushed his face into her neck, feeling the tough guy act he was trying so hard to put on slowly fading. His heart ached.

_No one on my shoulder  
Bringing me fears  
Got no clouds up above me  
Bringing me tears  
Got nothing to tell you  
I got nothing much to say  
Only I'm glad to be here with you  
On this heavenly heavenly heavenly heavenly heavenly day_

When Gabriella heard the last three lines of that part of the song, her world crumbled. The cries came from way deep within her, begging to finally break free. She was loudly sobbing against his shoulder, crying even harder with every thought. Her friends all looked over at her with pitiful looks on their faces, everyone was crying now, seeing Gabriella and Troy so broken killed all of them. All it took was for Taylor to hear Gabriella sobbing for her to bury her head in Chad's chest and cry her heart out too. Chad rubbed her back soothingly, while looking over at Troy, who was looking towards the sky, almost as if begging God to take this pain away from them. Chad saw his best friend's tears finally fall as he held on to the still violently sobbing girl in his arms, and that's when his tears fell too. The rest of the gang looked on as Gabriella still sobbed her heart out, all of them crying with her at the sad sight. Even Troy's parents were sadly looking on.

_Oh all the troubles gone away  
Oh for awhile anyway  
For awhile anyway  
Heavenly day  
Heavenly day  
Heavenly day  
Heavenly day  
Heavenly day  
Oh heavenly day_

The last words rang out and the whole gym was in tears, goodbye was hard to swallow for everyone. The gang all stood around nervously looking around as Gabriella and Troy still clung to each other, her still sobbing uncontrollably.

"I don't want to let you go…" she sobbed to him. He rubbed her back and pulled back to kiss her gently to calm her, but it didn't work. She took off running to the bathroom with Taylor following in silent tears. The gang made their way over to the long table to retrieve their things. No one spoke, everyone was too sad to say anything. The gang finally left, bidding farewell with heavy hearts, each with their own version of "See you at graduation". Troy and Chad hung around with his parents after just about everyone had left, waiting on Gabriella and Taylor to emerge from the bathroom.

**---In the bathroom---**

"Tay, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to loose it but everything hit me at once and I couldn't take it anymore" Gabriella tearfully said. She had finally calmed down and was washing her face next to Taylor, who had calmed down and looked fine all except for slightly red eyes. Gabriella's eyes were red and swollen and her nose was red too. "I look horrible. Troy is gonna be ashamed of me" Gabriella said sadly while Taylor let out the first hard laugh she'd had all night.

"You are crazy, that boy loves you and would never be ashamed of you!" Taylor laughed. Gabriella soon joined in and they were laughing together. After a few more minutes, they finally felt collected enough to meet back up with everyone else. As they walked out of the bathroom, they saw Troy and Chad sitting at the table with long faces. The girls walked over laughing, startling the guys who expected more crying. "We decided no more tears" Taylor declared.

"Yeah but we already said that once before and broke our word" Gabriella said remembering her and Taylor's promise not to cry. Troy stood up and hugged Gabriella, whispering in her ear.

"I love you. And when you're at college I'll be there too, because you have my heart" he cooed. She smiled and leaned back to kiss him with all the passion she had before pulling back.

"I love you too, Wildcat. And you've always had my heart too" she smiled up at him. They turned to walk out of the gym holding hangs. Facing their futures and leaving their youth behind. Both knew it would be a long road ahead, but they could make it because each had the other, and even though they couldn't fully be together, they took comfort in the fact that one day, when they were done living out their college dreams, they would finally be together again, this time forever.

**Phew! This is one LONG oneshot! Kudos to those of you who type chapter after chapter of these stories! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Waiting to be Fine

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character or the movie.**

**First of all, I was so shocked and excited that this story was really liked; I didn't expect to be asked to do another part. Sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I've just been trying to get my thoughts together and figure out where Troy and Gabriella are in their "relationship" in college. There is going to be at least one more part to this story after this part. Okay, here it is! I hope you enjoy.**

Gabriella tossed her long brown curls over her shoulder and put her hand to her forehead. The hardback chair was starting to give her a cramp in her lower back. 'Well I have been sitting here forever' she thought to herself. She began tapping her pen against the desk, causing a groan to arise from the bed beside her.

"Okay, I'm fine with you depriving yourself of sleep to write that thing, but now you are depriving _me_ of sleep. Please, Gabriella, just go to bed…" her roommate begged her while putting her pillow over her head to block out the light of the lamp that was really starting to annoy her. Gabriella laughed at her friend.

"I'm sorry Anna, I just want to get this perfect. I'll be speaking in front of a _lot_ of people…." Gabriella started rambling as her eyes went wide. Anna peeked out from under her pillow with a frustrated look, cutting Gabriella off.

"Who will be more interested in getting their diplomas than listening to you talk about what an educational experience this has all been, Gabriella _please_. You've got it done already anyway, you just keep wanting to change it. It's fine, leave it!" Anna ranted. Relenting, Gabriella turned off the desk lamp, leaving her speech on the desk.

"Happy? I'm stopping" Gabriella pretended to be mad.

"Extremely. Goodnight" Anna sighed making Gabriella laugh. She walked into the bathroom, grabbing her toothbrush. As she brushed her teeth, she thought once more of graduation. A speech. She was going to have to give a speech at their graduation. Suddenly her stomach lurched, she hated crowds. Especially when they were focused on her. It was only a little something saying what a wonderful experience college had been and congratulating the graduating class on their hard work. She still hadn't forgiven her professor for roping her into this. Professor Swann had been so kind to her though, helping her decide she wanted to teach Calculus to high school kids, so when she came to her with this idea of Gabriella giving a speech, she couldn't say no. After all she'd done for Gabriella, could she let her down? Of course not. Gabriella sighed. 'I wish I had just said no' Gabriella thought to herself, rinsing her mouth out, wiping her mouth, and turning off the bathroom light. She padded across the hard dorm room floor, reaching her bed and turning down the covers. She moved her pillows around until they were to her liking, and climbed in, bringing the covers up to her chin and sighing. 'I'm not even sleepy' Gabriella groaned in her head. 'I wonder what Taylor's doing, maybe she's up still' Gabriella silently wondered. 'Nah, she's probably long gone' Gabriella thought. She and Taylor had been roommates the first three years of college, then for their senior year they were split up. They hated it, but Anna was nice and so was Sara, Taylor's roommate. All four girls got along well, but to Gabriella, she'd still rather room with Taylor. Sighing, she turned over on her side, unable to get comfortable. She was too nervous to sleep, the speech and graduation getting the best of her. Or at least that's what she kept telling herself. Deep down, she knew what was really bothering her, but she wouldn't allow herself to think about it for more than a second. That's how she'd learned to deal with it, by not thinking about it. Because, thinking about it caused too much pain. Flipping over onto her back once more, she imagined those bright shinning blue eyes that she wanted so badly to see. Touching the delicate 'T' surrounding her neck and letting a lone tear slip from her eye and travel down the side of her face and drop onto the pillow underneath her head, she let her mind wonder to _her_ Troy. Laughing at her use of the word 'her', she realized how wrong the word was. He wasn't hers anymore. They hadn't seen each other except for holidays at home, which at first found them flirty and friendly, but never too close. Then after awhile the holidays at home found them acting shy around each other, never as talkative or flirty as they once were. They would hang out with the gang and act as friends, but never more. They hadn't had a conversation alone in about two years. Come to think of it, she hadn't even been home for a holiday in forever. Thinking back to how it got to that, she remembered how she spoke to him on the phone after she first started college every day, and then it grew to every week. Then that became every few weeks, then every once in a while to check up on each other's lives, then it was never. By the end of her sophomore year, she and Troy had become pretty much strangers. Her worst fear had come true, they grew awkward around each other, just like he had promised not to. She couldn't place all the blame on him though, she was one half of the relationship that became that way. She felt like she didn't even know that naive girl that promised to never let go and wait for her love. That girl that tried so hard to hold on to something that was impossible to hold on to. That girl that was just so innocent and blind to the real world. But she would give anything to step back into that naive, innocent, young girl's shoes again. Then she wouldn't be lying in bed wondering how everything went so wrong….how they had stopped talking all together. It just seemed like they were being pulled in two different directions, and the hold they had on one another lessened with each passing day, until it was no more. She hadn't noticed it at first, until that day. She let her mind wonder back.

_-Flashback-_

_Sweat ran down her forehead, her legs burned, but she pushed on anyway. Her high ponytail bounced with each stride she took, the song from her mp3 player blaring in her ears. She loved running, it was a way to get rid of college work related stress that piled up. The breeze blew against her, giving her a much needed cool down as she came to a stop in front of her building. Opening the door, she made her way up the stairs to the 3__rd__ floor to the dorm room that she shared with Taylor. She knocked lightly, just in case. Taylor and Chad had never made a promise to wait for one another, so quite a few times she'd come in to catch Taylor and some guy in a very embarrassing position. She knew Taylor had never gotten over Chad, even though they talked on the phone a lot as friends and Taylor always played it up to him like she was fine with that. But Chad didn't know every time they hung up Taylor went to the bathroom and cried, thinking she had effectively hid it from her roommate. But Gabriella knew better, Taylor was her best friend and she knew her better than just about anyone. Taylor never settled down, it never went past the 3__rd__ date, then she was moving on to some other guy. Gabriella knew it was her way of dealing with her feelings for Chad, and even though she wasn't sleeping with them, she was still leading them on, only to drop them later. In Taylor's mind, they were helping her forget, but Gabriella knew it was only proving she couldn't fully be with someone else. She was hurting them and herself. She never sat Taylor down to explain her destructive behavior but once, and Taylor's retaliation shook her to the core. She'd said, "Gabriella, who are you to tell me I'm hurting myself, you act like you never even knew a Troy! You won't talk about him, you won't tell any of our friends why you never go out with any guys, all they know is you were hurt bad and aren't over it. You think just by acting like it never happened you'll be fine, but at least I admit what happened with Chad hurt me then and still does and that I have a problem". They'd then apologized to the other, only to never bring it up again. Gabriella couldn't listen to something like that again. She was knocked out of her thought by loud laughter. Curious, she opened the door a crack. She saw Anna, Sara, and Taylor, along with a few of their other friends, sprawled out in front of the t.v. with their backs to the door, laughing at a video they were watching. Glancing up to the t.v., what Gabriella saw caught her breath. It was the video Ryan had given Taylor and Gabriella before they boarded the plane. He had taken it over senior year with bits and pieces of the gang and how they spent senior year, telling them when college got lonely they could pop in this tape and remember the "good ole' days". She recognized this part of the video took place in the East High Gym. She felt herself smile as Zeke came on the screen, showing his latest baked goods and explaining how it was made. Chad came onscreen behind him, mocking him as Sharpay slapped his arm, grabbing the cookies from Zeke's hands and walking off camera, an amused Zeke following. Chad got close to the camera and started telling jokes, just before Taylor's voice was heard off to the side telling him to shut-up. The camera panned to her, as she and Chad started arguing. They argued for a minute before they both moved in for a passionate kiss. Laughter was heard on the video and off. _

"_You guys are a hoot! I wish I could've spent a night with you and your high school friends! You guys seemed to always have fun! Do you still talk to that guy….the one you are making out with onscreen" Anna questioned while laughing, with the other girls looking to Taylor. Gabriella saw Taylor nod._

"_Yeah, I talk to him all the time. He actually called the other day to tell me he and Troy have been offered a spot on a professional team! They both accepted for after they graduate. Meaning, they will be playing basketball for a living! And they are on the team together, just like in high school. I am so proud of them too, because they really deserve it. I made him promise to get me tickets to his and Troy's first game. We aren't like we were in high school though, Chad was such an annoying, basketball- obsessed……"Taylor trailed off annoyed and then her tone changed. "….sweet, hot, amazing guy that I just hated to love" Taylor finished off with a laugh. The other girls laughed with her but Gabriella could hear in Taylor's voice the sadness that she refused to let anyone catch on to. But, what was really bothering her was the news Taylor had just shared with the girls. Troy had been offered a spot to play basketball for a living after he graduated? That was big news, why didn't he tell her? Then she realized they hadn't talked in months. Before her mind could continue the thoughts, she heard Sara's voice._

"_Hey, look it's Gabriella!" Sara said excitedly, causing the other girls to turn their attention back to the screen. Gabriella's mouth felt dry, she'd never watched this tape so she didn't know what to expect. It was too hard to look back on a time she longed for again, so she just had never watched it. Until now. Her eyes were glued to the screen and she was frozen in place at the door, still unnoticed. The video showed Gabriella standing with Kelsi, who was describing something animatedly to her as Gabriella played with a basketball, trying to do tricks but ending up failing and laughing with Kelsi. Suddenly Jason came up grabbing Kelsi from behind, making her squeal. Jason was heard saying they need to go and stop crashing basketball practice before Coach Bolton came in and got mad. Gabriella was heard saying they had at least twenty more minutes before Coach Bolton arrived ready to start, and until then they were staying. Jason was heard groaning as Kelsi giggled with Gabriella. Anna's voice cut through the silence._

"_I had no idea Gabriella liked basketball, she avoids it now like the plague!" Anna said a little confused. Taylor sighed._

"_You are about to see a side of Gabriella you've never seen. She never talks about this because…well….you'll see and everything will make sense" Taylor finished, getting curious glances from the girls, who turned their attention back to the video. Gabriella felt herself tense as she realized Taylor was implying they were about to see Troy. The other girls were clueless to this, but Gabriella knew exactly what Taylor meant by that statement. Still, her feet stayed frozen and her eyes were once more glued to the video. Jason and Kelsi had stolen the ball from Gabriella and Jason was trying to show Kelsi how to shoot a basket. Kelsi wasn't good at all and Gabriella stood close by them laughing. Suddenly the camera panned to the other side of the gym. All you could make out was two guys in a serious game of one-on-one. Taylor was laughing off to the side of them, staying out of the way. You could see a few cheerleaders walk by, staring at the two guys and whispering then giggling. You could make out them saying "Troy" and "Gorgeous" before they moved out of the camera's view. Suddenly, Troy stopped, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it to the sidelines, Chad following suit. They once more became engrossed in the game. Gabriella was seen walking over to Taylor as the two looked on adoringly at their boyfriends. Suddenly Coach Bolton walked in calling out to the group of friends, "Practice starts in ten minutes guys" telling them to wrap it up. Troy and Chad stopped their game of one-on-one and began making their way to the girls. Chad and Taylor smiled at each other and laced their hands together talking, then the camera cut up close to Troy and Gabriella, who were staring at each other as Troy made his way to her, smirking. The love in her eyes shone brightly as he finally reached her, wrapping his arms tightly around her and nuzzling his face in her neck, getting a loud squeal from Gabriella. "You are all sweaty!" Gabriella laughed and Troy laughed with her. "Come on Gabi, you know you love it!" Troy winked as Gabriella's face turned red. They leaned in and shared a kiss, both of them melting into each other and wrapping their arms around each other. Whistles could be heard from the video as all their friends walked over. Gabriella pulled back, glancing at the camera and smiling embarrassed before burying her head in Troy's shirtless chest. Troy was seen looking back at the camera and laughing as he looked down at Gabriella in his arms. Ryan's voice was heard talking just before the scene cut to a basketball game. You could hear cheers and yells and an announcer's voice as the game went on. Just then, there was a yell heard on camera "Come on Troy! Go baby!". The camera cut to the person beside it and Gabriella was seen onscreen. Her hair piled high on her head in a messy ponytail, her curls falling around her face in loose strands. She turned slightly to talk to Taylor, who was on the other side of her and the camera caught the "Bolton # 14" written on the back of the red and white jersey she was wearing. Taylor was seen walking off, and the camera caught her attire too, which was Chad's old jersey. Gabriella's eyes cut to the camera as she smiled sweetly just before turning her attention back to the court, and the video cut to another scene. In this scene you could see everyone at prom, all dancing and laughing with each other. Gabriella and Troy were wrapped tightly together, fast-dancing and staring into each other's eyes. A voice suddenly interrupted the video._

"_This is sad. It's like watching one big goodbye. You can see how in love they are. You all called her Gabi, now I know why she won't let anyone here call her that. And it explains the 'T' always worn around her neck. What happened to them?" Sara asked referring to Troy and Gabriella. Anna looked to Taylor for her answer also._

"_College, two different sides of the world. They had no choice, none of us did. She's never gotten over him and they promised to wait for each other. But they have barely spoken lately. I think it just hurts her to think about back then and remember how happy we all were. Not that we aren't happy to have friends like you guys" Taylor exclaimed the last part getting a laugh from the girls. "But, it hurt us all to say goodbye. And Gabi and Troy were the couple everyone knew was gonna make it, if they didn't the rest of us had no hope. You know what I mean? So when college came up, and he went to U of A with Chad on basketball scholarships, Gabi and I decided to come here, and pursue chemistry and calculus and things like that. Troy and Gabi didn't want to ask the other to give up their dream, so they were forced to end their relationship. The final dance was pitiful, and they tried so hard to hold on, but life goes on and you get pulled in such different directions, that sometimes you just have to let go. And I think she knows deep down that's what she has to do, but she can't let herself accept it, so by not talking about him or high school, she's pretending it never existed. And by not talking about it, she's not hurting, but she's not healing either. She still wears the 'T' necklace he gave her I think because it's all she has left of him, of their promise. She's never taken it off but a few times since he gave it to her in high school." Taylor finished with a somber expression as all the other girls had tears in their eyes. Suddenly they heard a painful sob, everyone looked in the direction of the doorway to see Gabriella grasping at her heart, sobbing. Taylor stood up with tears falling silently from her eyes and tried to go to Gabriella. But Gabriella turned on her heel and took off running. Taylor rushed out behind her only to see Gabriella rushing back down the stairs, sighing, she walked back in the room to be greeted by a room full of crying girls._

"_I didn't know she was watching, I wonder for how long?" Anna cried._

"_I think for a while" Taylor said. "I think we should all give her some time, and when she comes back don't question her, just let her be" Taylor glanced once more to the video, before taking it out of the vcr._

_-end flashback-_

Gabriella felt the tears run down her face faster. That was the day she knew her and Troy were over, they had let go without either of them realizing it. She was angry with herself for a long time for not trying harder to keep him. But after a while she realized it was like just the two of them running against a tide that was pushing against them in the opposite direction. The fight had gotten tiring, and they had given up. She missed him every day of her life, but she didn't talk about it after that day she walked in on her friends watching the video Ryan and made her and Taylor. She didn't even talk about it to Taylor. She thought if she pretended she was fine, after a while she would be. Sure, there were moments like this one that she allowed herself to cry, but never for long and never in front of anyone. And in the silence of her dorm room, with darkness surrounding her, she finally let her heart take over and allowed herself to cry over him and miss him. And she admitted to herself, that she was still waiting to be fine.


	3. The End

**Disclaimer: I don't own the movie or the characters.**

**Okay, I am really sorry I took so long finishing this story off, this will be the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! It takes place the next morning after the last chapter. Thanks for reading and again, I'm sorry for the LONG wait. Happy reading!**

The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a fluffy white pillow. She could hear moving around in the room and assumed it was Anna getting ready for class. She started to groan due to the thought of having class just before she realized class was over forever. Smiling at that thought, she closed her eyes again, waiting for sleep to sweep her away once more.

"So he called you this morning? Did he tell you what happened?" Anna's voice was heard. Why couldn't Anna have this conversation with whoever she was talking to somewhere else? Somewhere where there wasn't someone trying to sleep?

'Maybe she's paying me back for last night' Gabriella thought. Gabriella rolled onto her side to face Anna and tell her to quiet down when she saw Taylor's back. Taylor was standing in the bathroom doorway talking to Anna who was huddled close to the sink putting on mascara. Gabriella let a puzzled look cross her face, she had assumed Anna was on the phone. Glancing at the clock, Gabriella saw it was 9:02am. Why was Taylor here this early when there was no reason to be up this early? 'Class is over' Gabriella thought to herself. Before Gabriella could speak up she heard Taylor answer Anna's question.

"I just got off the phone with him and came right over…." Taylor's shaky voice trailed off. Gabriella suddenly felt like a horrible best friend. Apparently Taylor's latest "boyfriend" had broken up with her and Gabriella didn't even know she was dating someone. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stood up and made her way over to the two girls. "I just don't know how I'm gonna tell Gabi…" Taylor choked out. Coming to an abrupt stop, Gabriella frowned.

'Wait a minute, why is she worried about telling me? Maybe she knows I don't like how she swings from guy to guy?' Gabriella silently questioned before deciding she should just ask them. "Guys…what's going on?". Just then Taylor whipped around to face Gabriella as Anna looked up from her position at the mirror before sharing a worried glance with Taylor and putting her make-up down and walking to stand beside Taylor who was now standing in front of Gabriella. 'Okay this is odd, why are they being so weird?' Gabriella wondered.

"Gabriella, why don't you sit down" Anna said as Taylor nodded her head. That's when Gabriella realized Taylor's eyes were red, meaning she'd been crying. Gabriella thought that odd, since she never cried over any of the guys she'd dated since Chad because she never loved any of them. Gabriella felt the back of her legs hit the bed and realized they'd backed her up to her bed. She sat down, watching as Taylor crouched down in front of her and Anna stood to the side of them, seeming like she wanted to be anywhere else at the moment.

"Ga…." Taylor started before looking down and shutting her eyes tight. That's when Gabriella started to worry. Something must have been really wrong for Taylor to be acting this way. Taylor's brown eyes looked up once more and locked on hers. Gabriella noted the look of concern as Taylor spoke once more. "Gabi, Chad called me this morning. He had some news on Troy…" Taylor stopped, scanning Gabriella's face for a reaction. That's when Gabriella's stomach dropped, she knew what Taylor was going to say, so she said it for her.

"Troy is getting married isn't he?" Gabriella asked in a small voice as Anna sighed. Gabriella guessed that meant yes just before Taylor spoke again.

"Gabriella listen to me…" Taylor started. This made Gabriella nervous, Taylor only called her "Gabriella" when she was really serious, any other time it was always 'Gabi'. "Troy was in a car accident. He was hit by a drunk driver" Taylor whispered through unshed tears, trying to stay strong for her best friend. Gabriella felt her heart break, Troy had gotten hurt. She should be there with him now. That's when Gabriella realized she had to go to the hospital, she had to see him. Maybe she could even tell him she still loved him. Wait a minute, why was Taylor trying not to cry? Gabriella suddenly realized her friend holding back sobs. Fear spread through her body.

"H….he's okay r-right?" Gabriella's whisper broke the silence. That's when Taylor's tears were seen streaming down her face. 'Oh no, he must really be hurt' Gabriella thought. "Taylor tell me!" Gabriella demanded. She hadn't seen him in forever but she still felt like his girlfriend, she had to know or she would burst.

"Gabi, he…" Taylor's voice started shaking "…he didn't make it". Gabriella felt her whole world crumble and her whole body went numb. The words Taylor just spoke kept repeating in her head. When she realized that meant she would never see him again, never be with him again, she broke down in sobs. She hadn't sobbed that hard since she said goodbye last time. Only last time she knew she would be with him again…this time she never would. She vaguely felt arms wrap around her as she cried, she heard voices but she didn't know what they were saying. She was lost in memories of the boy she would spend the rest of her life longing for. She had so many different thoughts running through her head.

'They are wrong!'

'Why didn't you fight to keep him? Why did you let him go?!'

'You should have been there!'

'He's gone. Forever.'

The last one caused her to cry even harder. She had to see him, she'd never felt something so strongly in her life…she HAD to see him. Jumping up from the bed, she walked over to the closet and began grabbing random clothes and throwing them towards her bed. When she finally stopped tossing clothes, she turned around to see Taylor and Anna looking at her with looks of pity and sadness. Not caring, she grabbed her suitcase and threw it on the bed, shoving the clothes she'd just thrown from her closet in there. She felt someone grab her from behind and try to get her to sit down. She shook them off and reached down to grab another pair of jeans and put them in her suitcase. "Gabriella, what are you doing?!" Anna's worried voice reached her ears. Turning around she saw Taylor standing with her head in her hands crying and Anna standing behind her with a tearful gaze. She turned back around, ignoring the both of them and continued randomly throwing things in her suitcase. She didn't care what went in there at this point, she'd worry about that later. Right now she needed Troy. Suddenly her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees shoving her face to the ground.

"Oh God! I….w-want Troy! Please, s-somebody tell m-me this is a joke! P-Please! I ne…need T-troy! Gabriella sobbed. She felt two pairs of arms, one rubbing her back soothingly and the other wrapping her in a hug. She looked up to find Taylor was the one hugging her.

"I have to see him" Gabriella's horse voice answered, causing Taylor to look at her. She looked behind her to see Anna crying now too, before turning back to Taylor.

"Okay" Taylor said. "But let me help you pack, and then I'll pack a bag and come with you. We have to get a flight out to Albuquerque and everything and you aren't thinking clearly enough to handle all of this on your own. Gabriella nodded weakly before burying her head in her hands again.

**-On the plane-**

How was she gonna do this? Face this whole, ugly, truth and face all of their old friends as well as Troy's parents? Would they hate her now? What if they didn't want her there? She and Troy had went to different colleges because she wanted to go into the medical field, but she ended up majoring in education! To teach Calculus! It all seemed like it wasn't even worth it now, all the years of painfully being apart were for nothing. Deep down, she knew she still picked the best college for her major, even if it was different than she originally thought. Goodbye, how was she going to say goodbye to Troy _forever?_ Gabriella turned to Taylor with wide eyes "I can't do it, Tay. I can't" she choked out just before closing her eyes and laying her head against the back of her seat. She was so tired of crying, so tired of being sad all the time. She always thought that someway, somehow it would all be okay after college. Just like they had promised. But now, that would never happen. She heard her best friend's voice cut into her thoughts.

"You said the same thing the first time we ever flew to college. And I remember thinking it would never get any worse than that day. Boy was I wrong" she whispered the last part. "Just remember I am here for you, okay? Just like I always have been, when you can't go just lean on me and I'll help you okay?" Taylor said feeling pity seeing Gabriella's tears. She hated to see her have to go through this, it just didn't seem fair. But when was life fair?

"Taylor, you are the best friend I could ever ask for", Gabriella cried. Then they heard the announcement telling them it was almost time to land and for everyone to buckle up and get ready. Sighing, Gabriella decided she should just get used to the tears, because they would be here for a while now.

**-The day of Troy's funeral-**

The past couple of days had passed in a blur for Gabriella. She had so many hugs and words of sympathy from people she didn't even remember now. She had been over to Troy's parents house where they were receiving people, she had sat with Taylor the whole time, while everyone watched her with looks of sadness as she cried. She had cried pretty much non-stop ever since she found out Troy died. That word made her stomach turn every time she even thought it. She couldn't bring herself to say it. Even though she was at Troy's parents' house, she still hadn't seen them. Truth be known she didn't think she could, she couldn't look at them and be strong like everyone else. Maybe that's why they hadn't come to her either? She had seen the gang, and hugged Chad immediately when she saw him. They shared tears and that was the one thing she could remember that she was thinking clearly for. All the others blurred together, but she'd never forget his words and how the broke her heart all over again. She told him she felt weird about being here after all this time of them breaking up and he had told her Troy loved her up until he died, he'd never forgotten about her and he had never dated since her. Thinking of that made her sick, he had always loved her too. And now they would never get to be together. Just then a voice cut through the fog of her mind, and she realized where she was. Sitting at the church where Troy's funeral would be held. Oh God. She was never going to make it. She looked a few rows ahead of her and saw Troy's parents huddled together crying. Lucille seemed inconsolable while Jack seemed to be holding himself together a little bit better, probably for his wife. Chad was sitting beside Taylor who was on her right with her arm wrapped tightly around him as he cried. Her mom was on her left with a hand wrapped around Gabriella. She glanced behind her to see the rest of the gang sitting there, all crying. They were all sitting in the family section, because they all were pretty much family. She and Troy had brought them all together. Then it hit home. He wasn't there with them, and he should be. She went to stand up before she felt an arm grab her and pull her to them. Looking over she saw Chad's red eyes looking at her pleadingly. "Gabriella you are the only other person who was close enough to him to understand how I feel right now, please don't make me do this alone" he broke down and Gabriella did the same. They hugged each other, unaware of the other crying eyes of their friends and her mom watching them. Soon after that the service started. The preacher spoke, but Gabriella didn't hear him. She was lost in a time long ago, when Troy's arms surrounded her and his head rested on her shoulder, a time she would never see again. Suddenly everyone stood up. Taken a-back, Gabriella looked around realizing the family was the only ones standing. That meant the service was over and everyone was waiting for the family to walk by his casket to see him for the last time before doing the same and proceeding to the cemetery. How had she spaced out for the whole service? Gabriella stood on shaky legs. She looked over to see Chad leaning on Taylor for support, and the same with all the other old high school couples from her friends. She didn't know if anyone was still together or married to someone else or what and she didn't care at the moment. She stood in place for a minute with Chad and Taylor, who were letting the other friends get in the line to Troy's casket first. After the rest of them were in line, Gabriella fell in last. After a while of waiting and then line getting shorter, she looked to the side to see the gang was staying at the side door of the church where the family had exited and then looked in front of her to see Taylor saying her goodbyes to Troy. Then Taylor moved away crying and Chad stepped up.

'Oh God, this is it. I can't do it! Oh God!' Gabriella panicked. Then Chad stepped away from the casket, moving away from it to give Gabriella privacy but staying close enough incase she needed him. For the first time in a long time, she was standing there looking at _her _Troy. He looked so cold and lifeless. People always say the dead just look like they're sleeping, but that wasn't true. She couldn't see his fluttering eyelids, or his mouth twitching. She didn't see his chest rise and fall with each breath. She felt hot tears roll down her face as she leaned closer, wishing she could see those gorgeous blue eyes that would haunt her dreams forever one last time. She wanted to hold him so bad, she wanted him to hold her back, but she knew it wouldn't happen. Leaning down to kiss his forehead she heard sobs throughout the room. There were so many people watching her and she didn't care, all that mattered was him and the excruciating task of saying goodbye. _Goodbye._ She let her mind wonder back to some of the last words he'd said to her while they were still a couple.

"_I can't wait until we graduate college" he said, earning a laugh from her. "Until then…." his eyes softened once more "…I'm gonna miss you, Gabi"._

If only he had known. Looking at his face, she tried to memorize each detail so she could always remember. She didn't want to try to picture him years from now and not be able to remember him. "You promised me we would be together after we both graduated college" Gabriella sobbed. "You can't leave me, please!" Gabriella laid her head down on his lifeless chest and cried into it for the last time in her life. Everything was happening so fast, she couldn't even comprehend the depth of it all. Picking her head back up, she laid her hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb against it before leaning in close to his face. "I l-love you, w-wildcat" she choked out. "Y…you b-better s-save me a….a seat up there o-okay?" she finished off, not realizing everyone in the room was sobbing with her at the sad sight. She leaned down and kissed his lips softly one last time, before falling into Chad's comforting embrace and walking with the rest of the gang out the door and to the cars. The ride to the cemetery was a short and silent one. Before Gabriella knew it, they were stepping out and walking over to crowd around the casket. She was so numb and the tears just kept on coming, she didn't think she even had any left but she was continually proved wrong. Looking up she saw Lucille and Jack standing in each other's embrace, both of their eyes on her and the rest of the gang and her mom approaching with her. Lucille held out her hands to Gabriella, signaling she wanted her to stand with her and Jack. Gabriella walked over to them and was immediately engulfed in a hug by Lucille. Both women started sobbing, each understanding the other's hurt. "I c-can't b-believe he's g-gone" Gabriella said through her sobs. Lucille just cried harder in response and mumbled something not being able to believe any of it. The preacher started off praying, then spoke some more. Each word was lost to Gabriella's ears because the only thing she could concentrate on right now was the fact that she couldn't even breath because she was crying so hard. The service ended soon, and everyone walked up to the casket, giving him one last send off before leaving, going back to their lives and forgetting all about him. How was she going to do that? She couldn't live with out him, she couldn't forget him! She walked up to the casket and laid her head down and cried. "No! T-troy please! W-wake up! I n-need you! No! Noooo!!!" she cried. She heard a voice calling out to her, it sounded like Taylor but she was too distraught to care. But it was persistent.

"Gabriella! Gabriella!!" Taylor's voice called out to her. Suddenly she opened her eyes to find Taylor and Anna leaning over her bed with worried looks. Gabriella shot up from the bed, nearly knocking them both over in the process, checking the room and seeing everything was the same as it was the night she finished working on her speech. It was all a dream. Troy was okay, there was no accident, he was fine! She suddenly began yelling with joy and hugging Taylor. "What's wrong? Gabi, are you okay?" Taylor confusedly asked. Gabriella then proceeded to tell Taylor and Anna about her dream. When she finished they both were nearly in tears, but Gabriella didn't have time to notice. She shot up and grabbed her suitcase and began packing. And unlike her dream, this time she was taking notice of what she was packing. "Where are you going?" Taylor questioned. Gabriella gave her an 'are you kidding me' look before answering.

"I'm going to see Troy, I have to. I have to get him back. I love him and I don't care how far we've drifted apart or what he thinks, I have to try and I have to do it now! I…" Taylor cut her off.

"I'm going with you!" Taylor smiled before rushing out of the room to pack her things. Gabriella smiled happily and looked over at Anna who was laughing and grabbing her suitcase.

"I'm coming too then! You guys can't leave me behind!" Anna said to Gabriella, who was searching for her cell phone to call and get plane tickets for three to Albuquerque.

**-At The University of Albuquerque-**

Gabriella ran fast, with Taylor hot on her heels calling after her to wait up and slow down. Gabriella was too focused on getting to Troy though. Once they arrived at the airport, Taylor called Chad, who told Taylor he and Troy were in the U of A gym meeting up with their teammates for the last time. Before he could ask why, Taylor had hung up on him and she, Gabriella, and Anna were racing to the college. That's where they were now, after just getting out of the taxi Gabriella had started running towards the gym, which she had no idea how to get to. And Taylor and Anna were running behind her, all three girls carrying suitcases. They finally caught up with Gabriella when she stopped running, looking at them with wide, nervous eyes. "What am I doing? I'm just showing up out of the blue! What am I gonna say?! Troy, I had a bad dream that you died and woke up in a blind panic and came rushing to find you! He's either gonna laugh at me or pretend he doesn't know me!" Gabriella started rambling, causing Anna and Taylor to laugh.

"He won't laugh. From what Chad says on the phone, he's never dated anyone since you. And Chad says he's still in love with you" Taylor smiled getting a look from Gabriella that said 'and you're just now telling me this!'. "But first, we need to find out where the gym is and see if we can leave our bags at the main office or something" Taylor said just before the three went in search of the main office.

**-About 20 minutes later-**

There it was, Gabriella could see the gym from here and it wasn't too much farther. The girls had found the main office and gotten directions to the gym and the woman at the desk had been very nice and helpful in watching their bags for them. 'She must have thought we were family of someone here. But, she probably thought us crazy too' Gabriella thought to herself. Suddenly she saw a guy come walking up beside her with another guy trailing him, both with big boxes full of…basketballs? Turning to Gabriella, Taylor, and Anna he asked them if they were going to the gym. When they replied yes, he handed them off the boxes, asking them to give them to the coach for them since they were running late for something. Gabriella took one box and Taylor took the other. Anna just walked behind them. By this time they had reached the closed gym doors, and they could hear voices from inside. Gabriella turned to Taylor, who looked just as scared to death as her, and smiled nervously before turning around and bracing the box on her hip so she could pull the door open. She waited for Taylor to grab the door behind her before she walked in farther. As she started slowly making her way to the group of guys, she began looking for Troy. They were all laughing and talking, sitting on the gym floor facing a guy Gabriella assumed was their coach and none of them noticed the three girls enter. The guys weren't paying any attention and the coach was laughing with them while writing something down on his clipboard. Looking around more, she searched for him, still not locating him. She glanced behind her to see Taylor and Anna following in a single-file line behind her before turning back around to see two guys get up to move closer to some other guys they were talking to. That's when she saw him. Sitting there in front of where the two guys had just been sitting, sat her love. She could only see him from behind but the view was still a sight for sore eyes. He was sitting leaned back on his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him, talking to Chad, who was sitting stretched out beside him. 'Oh my God' Gabriella thought, as butterflies entered her stomach. She heard his laugh, it was music to her ears and abruptly she stopped, frozen in place. Apparently, Taylor wasn't watching where she was going because Gabriella suddenly felt something collide with her from behind due to the sudden stop. As if that wasn't bad enough, Gabriella toppled forward, her knees bending slightly to balance herself as the box full of basketballs in her hand crashed to the floor. Anna's laughter rang out in the room from behind them causing Gabriella to glare over her shoulder to see Taylor looking at her sheepishly with an empty box at her feet, basketballs rolling everywhere, and Anna hunched over almost on the floor rolling with laughter. Gabriella didn't think it was funny, especially when she turned around to see Troy as well as the rest of his teammates looking on surprised, some of them chuckling with Anna and some just smiling. Sky blue met chocolate brown just before she turned on her heel ready to run just in time to see Taylor ready to do the same before Anna stopped both of them.

"If you don't get your butts over there right now, you're gonna be sorry! Because I'm not letting you leave until you do." Anna said through laughter as Gabriella looked at Taylor who looked like she was gonna pass out and run at the same time. Sighing, Gabriella turned back around and started walking over to a now standing Troy. She looked to his side to see Chad smiling.

"You know, when Tay called me this morning asking where me and Troy were gonna be, I didn't expect it to be because you two were gonna fly into town to come interrupt practice like you _always_ do" Chad chuckled. "Very graceful by the way, Taylor" Chad teased her about running into Gabriella. She heard a laugh behind her and saw Chad walk by her. She looked back to see them talking and laughing, making her smile at the sight. Turning back around, she saw Troy's amused eyes no more than a foot in front of her.

"So, Gabi…not that I'm not thrilled to see you…but….what are you doing here? And why are you guys in pajamas?" he tried to hold back a laugh but failed.

'WHAT??!!!' Gabriella thought while looking down to see she was, in fact, still in pajama pants and a tank top. Suddenly feeling her face grow red with embarrassment she turned around to see Taylor looking the same way. In Gabriella's state of panic, neither of them had thought to change. She heard Troy laugh and turned her attention back him.

"I doesn't matter what you wear, baby. You'll always be beautiful" his eyes softened. She took one look at those soft blue eyes, and leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and burying her head in his neck and breathing him in deep. She started telling him all about the dream in a rambled mess of words, she wasn't sure if he understood her but got her answer when he replied.

"Hey, hey it's okay. I'm fine, I'm right here. And I love you too" he whispered the comforting words in her ear. Her eyes grew wide and a joyous smile grew on her face. He loved her. She pulled back and her lips met his in a passionate kiss, full of love, longing, and relief. They would be just fine now. She was finally okay again, she had _her _Troy back, for good this time.

**-Two Years Later-**

Gabriella smiled at Taylor and Chad, who were kissing tenderly. "So have you decided on when we are looking for your dress and your bridesmaid's dresses yet?" Gabriella asked Taylor, who pulled away from Chad and smiled at Gabriella.

"I think sometime this weekend if you are feeling up to it" Taylor said with a hint of concern in her voice. Gabriella smiled at her best friend before she wrapped her arms around Troy and kissed him gently.

"I think I'll be okay. The baby isn't due for another 2 weeks, and I think walking will do me good" Gabriella said as she rested her hand on top of Troy's on her rounded belly. Taylor smiled at her saying she'd give her a call later on in the week about it before going back to kissing her fiancé. Gabriella looked to her right to see her husband smirking down at her, his blue eyes sparkling. She couldn't help but smile back at him. She loved him so much and couldn't believe they had been married for over a year and were expecting their first child very soon. Troy hugged her to him and kissed her cheek, whispering in her ear.

"I love you Mrs. Bolton" he whispered. Pulling back to kiss his lips, she mumbled against them that she loved him too.


End file.
